AI is transforming education – and that transformation is creeping into adjacent industries. Brad Wolverton discusses the urgency and the adaptability of journalism in a world driven by AI, particularly when covering AI in higher education.

Back in the editor’s seat, Wolverton covers the biggest stories on higher education, including political, technological, and economic coverage. “But what we really need to do is also meet this, the needs of the audience,” Wolverton said. “Not just because, as you say, we're facing all this upheaval around political disruption, economic disruption on campuses, all kinds of challenges there. But, there's also the challenges of, ‘How do you meet people in the media at a moment like this?’”

Editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Brad Wolverton covers the biggest stories shaping colleges and universities. Wolverton, an award winning journalist and media leader, has led editorial teams for various tech-industry giants, such as Hubspot Media. His career includes bylines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Week, USA Today, and more. For Wolverton, AI is the biggest thing changing the landscape of education, but that’s not all AI is reaching for.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

For Melissa Vito, the key to innovation centers on meeting the students where they are. 

Vito talks with Lev Gonick about framing AI innovations to support the needs of students. Rather than the kneejerk reaction of villainizing AI in education, Vito redirects the mindset into a framework that meets students where they are with AI and then stepping forward. “Innovation and thinking about the future while you stand on the past  – they can’t exist alone,” Vito said.

Melissa Vito is Vice Provost for Academic Innovation at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Vito consults corporate and higher education institutions, providing market research analysis and implementing strategic planning initiatives in order to improve online learning environments. Vito prioritizes future-focused leadership, creating an informed infrastructure for fully online programs at UTSA, and driving modality-agnostic innovative teaching and learning.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

Futurists do not simply predict the future – they think systematically about the future and prepare for opportunities.

In this episode, Marina Gorbis deconstructs the sense of disruption against the sense of opportunity with rising AI use in higher education with Lev Gonick. “AI is entering into our basic infrastructure just like electricity or water or oxygen, it’s become a part of everything,” Gorbis said. “How it’s going to happen is really going to depend on us.”

Marina Gorbis, Executive Director for the Institute for the Future, is never focused on hindsight. Instead, she focuses her attention on foresight, and looking ahead into what the future might have in store. Currently, Gorbis’ research focuses on the transformations in the world of work, and she has launched several initiatives geared towards developing a deeper understanding of new work patterns. Author of, The Nature of the Future: Dispatches from the Social Structured World, Gorbis draws the connection between technological infrastructure innovation, and changes in organizational landscapes, impacting all industries.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

In this episode, Phil Komarny discusses the meaning behind business technology numbers with Lev Gonick. According to Kormarny, it’s not just enough to be knowledgeable about the latest in technology – it’s important to look at the data and understand the language of that data in order to create innovative solutions.

The key to transformation is in the language of business data. “We've been able to really uncover so many automations and so many inhumane tasks that we've given people to do,” Komarny said. “Machines need to do that now, and we can do really creative things, and that's how we're seeing it transform.”

Phil Komarny is the Founder and CEO of My LifeTrek Network, an AI learning solutions startup, and Chief Futures Officer at Maryville University, where he dedicates his time tailoring the technological evolution to the learning experiences of students. His goal is to ensure that students are prepared for an AI-saturated world after they graduate, honing in their skills and tactics so that they can seamlessly integrate into the working world. For Komarny, it’s not just about the AI – it’s about the data and customization behind the AI.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

The constellation of literacies approach to education strategy embraces a culture of openness and inclusion, ensuring innovations such as AI so as to include learners from all backgrounds.

In this episode, Gunder discusses the interconnection of literacies with Lev Gonick, opening up the conversation around who gains privilege and power when these literacies are decided.

“For me the biggest thing really was looking at the world through the sociocultural lens of learning, and particularly understanding literacies, plural, as opposed to literacy as a binary,” Gunder said.

Angela Gunder is CEO and Founder of Opened Culture, a collaborative and strategic consultancy organization that works to bridge gaps between educational institutions and communities. Gunder recently won the inaugural 2025 Humanitarian Award, established by ASU to honor remarkable individuals whose work exemplifies the power of leadership, compassion, and systemic change. Gunder’s work with Opened Culture allows her to advance academic innovation on a global scale, through cultures of openness, inclusivity and empowerment.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

By leveraging the anti-silo mindset, agentic AI can elevate the user’s ability to create, add, and improve even faster and smarter than before.

Vala Afshar speaks with Lev Gonick on the release of his new book, Autonomous: Why the Fittest Businesses Embrace AI-First Strategies and Digital Labor, and on the value of lifelong learners. For Afshar, staying teachable and embracing the new and improved, is imperative to embracing the anti-silo mindset. “It’s not companies or institutions that disrupt, it’s people that disrupt,” Afshar said.

Vala Afshar is Chief Digital Evangelist for Salesforce, and author of bestselling books, The Pursuit of Social Business Excellence, Autonomous: Why the Fittest Businesses Embrace AI-First Strategies and Digital Labor, and Boundless: A New Mindset for Unlimited Business. A storyteller and an expert in upcoming digital business transformation, Afshar frequently gives key business innovation insights while keeping the conversation open for new ideas as a top marketing officer.

This episode was filmed at the Agentic AI and the Student Experience Summit in Tempe, hosted by ASU Enterprise Technology.

Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich, Strategic Advisor and former President for SkillsWave

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sashatberr/

Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich is starting a new university: New State University.

Join Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich and Lev Gonick on Voices of Innovation as they discuss Thackaberry-Voinovich newest project launch - a new university. According to Thackaberry-Voinovich, the university is certificate-first, competency-based, and will allow students to pursue individual certificates all the way to a Masters’ degree.

Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich is a higher education leader in innovative learning models and the effective use of eLearning systems, who has supported teams and grown enrollments across a range of institutions, including as the Vice President of Student and Partner Services at Pearson, as Vice President for Online and Continuing Education at Louisiana State University, and more.

This episode was filmed at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

Ellen Levy, Managing Director at Silicon Valley Connect

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenlevy/

The natural convergence of technology and education has led to a breaking of education-silos.

Ellen Levy discusses the evolution of ed-tech with Lev Gonick in this episode of Voices of Innovation. “You see this convergence happening where you have these top founders who are very technically savvy saying, ‘there’s a reason I also studied psychology.,’” shares Ellen. 

Ellen Levy is a Senior Advisor to the President at Arizona State University and Managing Director of Silicon Valley Connect, working with organizations and entrepreneurs on driving innovation while also managing an angel investment portfolio of 50+ startups; she spends her time focused on technology-led innovation across sectors including financial services, healthcare and education with a particular interest in rapidly-growing startups and on issues related to the “Future of Work.”

This episode was filmed at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

Rahim Rajan, CEO at AQL Labs & Vice-Chair at Seattle Colleges Foundation

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahimsrajan/

“The biggest opportunity we have in front of us is educating the billions,” Rahim Rajan. Rahim joins host Lev Gonick for Voices of Innovation. 

Educating the billions, not the millions, on innovation in technology is Rahim Rajan’s mission with AQL Labs. Join the discussion with Rajan and Lev Gonick on modernizing and optimizing higher education institution legacies.

Rahim has worked at the forefront of technological advances in higher education - assisting institutions in leveraging the newest innovations in technology.

This episode was filmed at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

Kyrsten Sinema, U.S. Senator, Ret. and Professor of Practice at ASU

“I watched a lot of kids fall through the cracks because our education system wasn’t designed and wasn’t equipped with the tools to help kids with neurodivergent experiences learn in the ways that worked for them,” says retired U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema on the most recent episode of Voices of Innovation.

In the episode, Kyrsten Sinema reflects on her ASU career and passion for instruction as she reaches her 23rd year of teaching. And at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit, Sinema unveiled the launching of the Spark Center for Innovation in Learning, focused on learning diversity, at ASU.

Learn more about the Spark Center: https://publicservice.asu.edu/spark 

Over her 20-year career in public service, Kyrsten Sinema served Arizona in the State House and Senate, as a Member of the United States House of Representatives, and most recently in the United States Senate. Kyrsten earned a Masters of Social Work, PhD, J.D., and MBA from Arizona State University, currently serves as the President and CEO of the Arizona Business Roundtable and is a Professor of Practice at the Arizona State University School of Social Work.

This episode was filmed at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.

Claire Zau, Partner and AI Lead with GSV Ventures

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairezau/

Claire Zau is up next in Voices of Innovation with host Lev Gonick. 

From ChatGPT, to audio and video and now multi-modality — Claire reflects on the fast-paced evolution of generative AI to agentic AI with Lev Gonick, and highlights the future of AI use in the marketplace. “Every company is an AI-education company,” Zau says.

Claire Zau leads GSV’s AI investment coverage and has worn many hats across both the GSV Ventures investment team along with the ASU + GSV Summit team, where she collaborates with thought leaders across the edtech ecosystem to develop program and thought leadership. 

Sign up for Claire’s newsletter on AI and education: https://aieducation.substack.com/ 

This episode was filmed at the 2025 ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.